and British handling of both of these crises shows that Britain was prepared to stand by France so
the entente may have been important as a reason for the declaration of war.
The importance of the entente is emphasised by a historean, K.M. Wilson in 'The policy of the
Entente' (1985) in which he states 'the entente, had been made because Britain was unable any
longer to maintain unaided her position in the world against the competition which she faced.' This
suggests that Britain would have been isolated without the entente and highlights its importance to
her. The entente between Britain and France became alot closer when they agreed that Britain
would concentrate most of its navy in home waters and France in the Mediterranean both
protecting each others interests. This agreement demonstrated that Britain was sufficiently
intimate with France to entrust the French navy with the Mediterranean, and suggests that the
entente was starting to become more than just a friendly agreement. It also highlights the
importance of the entente with France because if Germany was to launch a naval attack on
France Britain would have been moraly obliged to defend her. Also if Britain did not defend
France the French navy may have threatened British interests in the Mediterranean. But despite
all the evidence to support the idea Britain went to war as a result of her entente with France, her
entente with Russia seems to have been of little consequence and there is evidence which
suggests the ententes were not the main reason why Britain entered the war. The entente in itself
was just a friendly arrangement between the countries and Britain was never obliged to fight on
behalf of France or Russia. In addition in 1906 during the first Moroccan crisis although Britain
was prepared to offer diplomatic support to France it was less clear that they were prepared to
commit themselves to military action or that public opinion would have supported this.
On 4 August 1914 Britain declared war on Germany after the invasion of Belgium and failure to
respond to a telegraph asking Germany to withdraw. But if Britain's decleration of war was a
consequence of her ententes she would have been expected to declare war on 3 August when
Germany declared war on France. The fact that she hesitated suggests the entente was not
Britains only motive for entering the war and her actions demonstrate that the issue of Belgium
was an important reason for entering the war. The invasion of Belgium helped to swing public
opinion in Britain in favour of a war. On the morning of 2 August 1914 thousands of people
demonstrated in Trafalgar Square against what they saw as a war for the sake of France or
Russia. But public mood changed when they discovered Germany was threatening to invade
Belgium and it could therefor be argued that Belgium neutrality was more of an important reason
for joining the war than the triple entente. The importance of Belgium is highlighted in a speech
by Lloyd George, 28 February 1915, 'We are bound by honourable obligations to defend the
independence, the liberty, the integrity of a small neighbour that has always lived peacefully.' This
speech is ultimately saying that Britain is moraly obliged to fight for the sake of Belgium. But
Belgium was also of interest to Britain because of the small stretch of channel between them, if
Germany was to invade Belgium she could easily launch a naval attack on Britain and British fear
of German economic and millitary might is arguably the main reason why she entered the war. A
historian P.Hayes in his book 'Modern British Foreign Policy - The twentieth Century 1880-1939
(1978) agrees with this idea. 'Britain became involved because it was the consensus of opinion
that her interests and the balance of power were threatened by Germany.' Britains fear of
German naval power is demonstrated in a memo by Count von Metternich, German ambassador,
December 1904, he states 'up till now England has maintained no fleet in home waters equal to the
German one,' implying that Britain doesn't trust Germany and fears her naval might. It could also
be argued that the reason why Britain came to France's aid in the 1911 Agadir crisis of Morocco
was because Britain didn't like the concept of a German naval base on the Atlantic coast, not
because she valued her entente with France. If interpreted in this manner Britains action helps
highlight insecurity towards Germany as a key factor in the declaration of war. Britain was also
worried about the implications of a French defeat which would leave an incredibly powerful
Germany. Asquith reflects on this in a letter to Ventia Stanley 1 August 1914 telling her that it is
against British interests for France to be wiped out as a power. This idea is also supported by a
historean B. Gilbert. In his book David Lloyd George (1987) he emphasises that when Germany
attacked France Britain had to act and he states 'the implications for Britain of a defeated,
bloodied, and pauperized France...were to terrible to contemplate.'
A strong arguement as to why Britain joined the war was through fear of isolation. Sir Edward
Grey in his autobiography 'Twenty Five years - 1892-1916 (1926) writes, ' the real reason for
going into the war was that, if we did not stand by France and stand up for Belgium against this
aggression, we should be isolated, discredited, and hated.'
Another reason for going to war was to distract public attention from problems at home. For
example the death of king Edward VII on 6 May 1910 which had shocked the nation and for
many people had marked the end of a British era of supremacy. As well as the suffragettes
movement whose campaigns for votes for women had become increasingly violent since 13
October1905 when two young girls interupted a liberal meeting addressed by sir Edward Grey and
were later charged with assult .
Historians views largely suggest that the ententes with France and Russia were not the main
reason why Britain entered the war. The entente with Russia seems to be of little consequence
and although the entente with France certainly influenced the decision to declare war there were
other important factors such as British insecurity and fear towards Germany aswell as a British
fear of being isolated and hated if they didn't join the war. The invasion of Belgium was also an
important factor as it helped to sway public opinion in favour of a war. It is also concievable that
if France and Germany had been on another continent Britain may not have got envolved in the
war at all suggesting that the close proximety of France and Germany was also an important
factor. and a feeling that Britain wanted to keep France strong and Belgium neutral in order to
maintain a 'buffer' between Britain and Germany. So although the entente with France was a
factor which influenced the decision to declare war there were other issues which were equally
important and they all contributed to the declaration of war.
